Former Hanshin Tigers manager (2004-2008) Akinobu Okada must have seen something in the Yutaka Wada regime that he couldn’t find in his successor, Akinobu Mayumi. Apparently the Tigers went from being a winner (2003 and 2005 Central League champs) to somewhat of a loser until 2013. Having become a sports analyst, he decided to write…
More fans showed up at Koshien Stadium yesterday than on many days on which the Tigers hosted a baseball game. The reason: the team’s annual Fan Appreciation Day took place from 12pm until around 4pm. The weather was great and the turn out was reported at 43,000. Here is a rundown of the day’s events:…
The Hanshin Tigers started their 2015 season with one goal: winning the Central League pennant in their memorial 80th year as a franchise. Despite finishing 7 games behind the champion Yomiuri Giants and just a half game ahead of the Hiroshima Carp in 2014, the team made no significant offseason moves. In fact, officials pointed…
So you thought the Hanshin Tigers’ baseball season was over? Think again. For some players, the break was short or even non-existent. Many have been practicing at Koshien the past week or so, and starting November 1, the team will have its annual Fall Camp in Aki City (Kochi Prefecture). This will be their first…
Despite a big win yesterday, the Tigers were still at a marked disadvantage in this one. First, they were still on the road, playing in a stadium where they had a 3-12 record this season including playoffs. Second, they needed a win, whereas the Giants could settle for a tie and advance. Third, they were…
The 12-in-12 could not have been going any worse than it had up to this point. Two wins and eight losses, with the lone wins coming against the Yakult Swallows (1-1) and Hiroshima Carp (1-2). Two losses each at the hands of the BayStars and Giants, plus one against the Chunichi Dragons, completely eliminated the…
Once again I had the privilege of attending a game with a good friend and being able to sit in a good section. I was 17 rows behind the Tigers’ dugout, so I got to see the players coming off the field every inning, high fiving each other, and so on. Tonight our opponent was…
It really doesn’t matter too much what the Tigers’ record is. They need to beat their longtime rivals, the Yomiuri Giants. Wada himself said, “We’re more focused on the rivalry than our record in this series.” He backed that up by slotting three of his strongest pitchers to take the mound under the EGG in…
Since the all-star break, the Hanshin Tigers are playing much better ball. They are 11-6 with a run differential of +13. Before the break they were 41-42 and got outscored by 86 runs. The team has won all but one of their six series (losing two of three to the Swallows at home), and started…
Two straight huge wins over the Hiroshima Carp had the Tigers looking great and remaining in the thick of the Central League race. The weekend series in Yokohama would feature their two legitimate aces and a chance to move into first place if all the cards got dealt in their favor. How would they fare…